Brazil has become the new epicenter of the new crown epidemic
Brazil's farce that has deleted a lot of information about the new crown epidemic situation has finally ushered in a turning point. On the evening of June 9, local time, according to the order of the Brazilian Supreme Court, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has reinstated the outbreak information website. The Supreme Court emphasized that if internationally recognized measures are not taken, such as collecting, analyzing and disseminating epidemiological data, it will have disastrous consequences for the people.
Similar to the scenario where the epidemic data was deleted in large quantities four days ago, Brazilian President Bosonaro and the Ministry of Health did not provide more explanations for the changes to the information website. The analysis generally believes that the Ministry of Health has to restore statistics and publish the epidemic data because of pressure. National judges, health experts and media criticized the government for manipulating statistical data, playing with and abusing government power; and from the perspective of public health, concealing the data will It will be "the beginning of tragedy".
The epidemic information website established by the Brazilian government was once removed on June 5, and the originally recorded relevant data of Brazilian states and cities since the outbreak was deleted most of the time when it came back online the next day. The total number of deaths will no longer report data showing the increasing or decreasing trend of confirmed cases and deaths. Only the number of newly confirmed diagnoses, deaths, and cumulative number of cured cases within the past 24 hours will be published.
In the days when the total number of cases was "absent", the number of new diagnoses of new coronary pneumonia in Brazil increased at a rate of more than 30,000 daily. The situation of the Brazilian epidemic in the country with the most serious epidemic in South America has further deteriorated. According to the data released by the Brazilian Ministry of Health on the 9th, as of 18:00, June 9, local time, a total of more than 730,000 cases were diagnosed, ranking second in the world; a total of 38,000 deaths, second only to the United States and the United Kingdom; another more than 310,000 People heal and recover. It is worth noting that the number of confirmed diagnoses and deaths announced by the Ministry of Health are lower than the statistics directly obtained by the major Brazilian media from the state health departments. Consistent with WHO's previous predictions, Brazil is becoming the new "epicenter" of the new crown epidemic.
It is no accident that WHO’s earlier predictions came true. The epidemic in Brazil is relatively "late" in the world. The first confirmed case was not reported until February 26, and the first death occurred on March 17. When the then Minister of Health Mandeta had no confirmed cases in his country, A national health emergency has been declared on February 3. Nonetheless, the chaotic anti-epidemic guidelines and initiatives within the federal system, the spread of communities in slums and aboriginal villages on the edge of the city, continue to consume Brazil’s privately-run medical system.
Brazil has also recently erupted in solidarity with protests and demonstrations in support of the United States’ "Freud's death", making the epidemic prevention and control situation even worse. On May 18, a 14-year-old black boy from Brazil was shot dead by the police who broke into his home. He was subsequently reported missing, and his family learned of his death the next day. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, where the epidemic is most severe, hundreds of people have gathered in front of the state government for many days to protest the crimes committed by the police against black boys. When the WHO repeatedly warned that “large gatherings could lead to super-spreading incidents”, people gathered on the streets to protest, which will undoubtedly further aggravate the worries about the deterioration of the Brazilian epidemic.
All spearheads are directed at President Bosonaro. Even before he was sworn in in January 2019, Bosonaro was dubbed the "Brazil Trump" for his unspoken words. From resolutely opposing home segregation, forcing the two health ministers to quit one month, to rejecting WHO's guidance, insisting on recommending hydroxychloroquine as an early treatment drug for patients with new coronary pneumonia, and then accusing WHO of being a "partisan political organization" , And then threatened to forcibly "retreat from the group," Bosonaro's anti-epidemic actions in almost every step is closely following the pace of US President Trump. Even when he was questioned that restarting the economy prematurely would increase the risk of people getting sick and dying, Bosonaro replied "This is life", exactly the same as President Trump.
The international top medical journal "The Lancet" once publicly denounced in an editorial published on May 9 that Bosonaro has become Brazil's "biggest threat" against the new coronavirus. On May 13, the former Minister of Health Mandetta recalled that several politicians in Brazil had successively been diagnosed with the New Crown Virus infection. Bossonaro insisted on visiting the United States and meeting with Trump regardless of the risk of virus transmission in mid-March. Called a "new crown virus journey". The visit to the United States not only plunged Bossonaro himself into a “confirmed diagnosis cloud”, but the statistics cited by Mandetta also showed that Bosonaro’s 17 follow-up personnel tested positive for the new coronavirus within 15 days after returning from the United States. Including Foster, the Chargé d’affaires of the Brazilian Embassy in the United States.
Foster has recovered, and as a Pakistani official representative, he attended the online seminar on "The Next Phase of US-Brazil Relations" hosted by the famous American think tank Atlantic Council Adrian Ashram Center , Defended Bossonaro's anti-epidemic strategy in front of US Ambassador to Brazil Chapman. "Our president said from the beginning that in a country with a diverse and uneven political economy, it is difficult to find a'one size fits all' response." Foster said, "This sudden public Health events are not only a health crisis, but also have a huge impact on politics and the economy. The President has always believed that we should deal with all these aspects at the same time."
Bossonaro insisted that "the economy is greater than the epidemic", and political considerations are similar to those of Trump. Economic policy is at the core of Bosonaro’s government’s attention. After Bosonaro came to power, Brazil’s huge deficit has eased through measures such as cutting public spending and privatizing and deregulating industries and banks. However, the severe impact of the epidemic on the Brazilian economy is inevitable. Rating agency Moody's said that the current Brazilian economic recession is more severe than expected, and it is difficult to maintain the "stable" level of Brazil's sovereign debt rating outlook. Moody's expects that Brazil's economy will decline by 5.2% in 2020 due to the epidemic. This will be the largest decline in the country's economy since it was recorded in 1900.
Correspondingly, the economic recession left Bossonaro facing a political crisis similar to that of President Trump. Due to suspected attempts to interfere with the appointment and removal of the Federal Police, Bosonaro had to face a full investigation by the Brazilian Supreme Court from the end of April, exacerbating the political crisis he faced. Critics believe that in attempting to manipulate the epidemic data, Bosonaro intends to downplay the epidemic crisis while distracting the public.
However, Brazil is not the United States. The proportion of the poor is large, social resources are drying up, and Brazil does not have the strong economic strength of the United States. Although Trump has expressed support for Brazil’s accession to the OECD and even proposed Brazil’s accession to NATO, he also declared that US-Pakistan relations reached an “unprecedented new height”, allowing Bosonaro to position Brazil as the “non-NATO major ally” of the United States. However, on May 24, when the epidemic in Brazil became more severe, the United States announced the early implementation of a travel ban against non-U.S. citizens of Brazil, and Trump himself also publicly demarcated the border with Bosonaro, saying that "if the United States takes the same In the United States, 2.5 million people may be killed, or even more." Brian Winter, editor of the American Quarterly of America, believes that it may take into account friendly relations with Brazil. The US government decided to implement the travel ban "after as long as possible"; in the face of real threats, the "between the two countries" "Friendship" does not exclude Brazil from the US ban.
The US response caused a strong shock in Brazil. Former Brazilian President Lula sarcastically said in an interview with the Guardian that Bosonaro is "Trump's ass." Lula said, "I can’t think of a president in Brazil’s history since 1889 who is as embarrassed and disrespected as Bosonaro in the world. Now even Trump does not take Bosonaro. Seriously." Six former Brazilian ministers also issued an open letter in May condemning Bossonaro’s “shameful behavior of kneeling down”, saying that his response to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic made the Brazilian government “an object of ridicule and disgust by the international community”. The name of "Brazil Trump" that Bosonaro once regarded as a commendation has now become his greatest sorrow. The new crown epidemic is the biggest crisis in Brazil at present, why is it not the case in the United States?
Newspaper Beijing, June 10th
China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily trainee reporter Ma Ziqian Source: China Youth Daily